Artist Rides a Giant Paper Boat Down the Thames River

This past weekend in London artist Frank Bölter relied on a little help from his friends — and complete strangers — to make sure his latest artistic feat didn’t plunge into the murkey waters of the Thames. With a few hands from his crew and a few passersby Bölter floated down the famous river in a boat made of nothing but paper! Before his launch, he asked for the help of spectators to fold his white sheet into a proper floating vessel and then took a ride through the middle of London while reading a newspaper. The piece is entitled To The World’s End and was a part of the Drift10 bi-annual art exhibition.

Frank Bölter’s less than sturdy vessel was made entirely of paper and folded to resemble an origami hat — origami boats, origami solar panels, what will they think of next? He asked passersby to lend a hand in the making of the vessel once they arrived on the shore of the Thames as the piece of paper isn’t your average 8 1/2″ by 11″. The boat was inspected by a member of the water police in London before it set sail and was deemed to be — albeit not by a boating expert — safe for the voyage.

Other art pieces in the exhibition include one by Julius Popp that showcases falling water droplets that form temporary words before they descend to join the river on it,s journey to the sea and another by James Capper which features wind powered glowing buoys. Drift10 is put on by Illuminate Productions, a non-profit organization that looks to display works of modern artists for diverse audiences. Drift is a bi-annual exhibition that looks to elevate the River Thames to the level of the galleries and museums that line it — why can’t a river exhibit art? Throughout the fall and winter artists will be showing pieces on and in the river to the public.